


"Aw, Coffee"

by FeralCreed



Series: Tumblr Prompts [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies), MCU, Marvel (Movies), The Avengers (Movies)
Genre: AU, Established Relationship, M/M, Security Guard Bucky, Tumblr Prompt, archery teacher Clint, winterhawk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-14
Updated: 2016-04-14
Packaged: 2018-06-02 04:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6551359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeralCreed/pseuds/FeralCreed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Per the request of lalalaspacinginpandaland at tumblr.</p><p>WinterHawk AU. Rather than joining S.H.I.E.L.D. after leaving the circus, Clint does his best to go straight. He has a dog, a boyfriend, and a job teaching archery. Bucky, the love of his life, works in the security department of Stark Tower. When Clint gets a request for help from an old acquaintance named Kate Bishop, he's reluctant to assist until Kate tells him the job is nonlethal and will help her quit her dangerous illegal life. However, he doesn't know that her job is to assassinate Tony Stark, and things get difficult when he and Bucky meet on opposite sides of the law.</p>
            </blockquote>





	"Aw, Coffee"

“Aw, coffee,” Clint murmurs, staring at the empty mug in his hands and then at the mostly empty coffeepot.

 

Bucky chuckles as he comes into the kitchen. “Someone's tired.” Clint just grumbles as Bucky wraps him in a hug from behind and props his chin on the blond's shoulder. “Is it taking a long time again?” He gets a whine for an answer. “Guess I'll pick up a new one on the way home from work.”

 

“S'fine,” Clint says through a yawn.

 

“Just because we're dating doesn't mean that I'm going to stop wooing you.”

 

“Wooing your way into my pants wasn't enough?”

 

“Not nearly. I gotta take care of you the way you deserve. And that definitely involves a working coffeepot. Besides, I need a lot of it too.”

 

“Mmph.” Clint leans back into his embrace, and Bucky's pretty sure that he'd be able to pick out the faint beginnings of a blush if he could see his face. He's always gone a little over the top when it comes to his boyfriend, and while Clint was self-conscious about all the attention at first, he's gotten more comfortable with it. Even if he's still a little shy when it comes to taking all the affection and gifts, and still blushes when he kisses Bucky to thank him, the dark-haired man wouldn't change his boyfriend for the world.

 

“You are gorgeous and I am going to be late,” Bucky informs him a few minutes later. He leans around Clint's shoulder to kiss his cheek, and the blond turns his head to get a second kiss on the mouth. “I'll see you later and I'll bring you a coffeepot.”

 

“True love is bringing your bestie a coffeepot.”

 

“Exactly.” Bucky hugs him for a moment, nuzzling the back of his neck, before he grabs his keys off the counter and leaves their apartment.

 

Clint stands waiting at the counter until the coffeepot finally gives him what he needs, and takes the mug with him into the bedroom. Lucky cracks his eye open and thumps his tail on the bed a few times before going back to napping. He's on the bed, just like he isn't supposed to be, but Clint and Bucky have always let him bend the rules. As he sips on his coffee, he gets an outfit ready and wanders into the bathroom for a shower. With that over, he feels much more awake, and he eats breakfast while skimming through the book that Bucky had left on the couch last night.

 

An unfamiliar number makes his phone ring just as he parks at the range, and he fumbles in the backseat for his bow case as he digs his phone out of his pocket. “Yello?” he asks, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder as he locks the truck and walks toward the range.

 

“Hello, Barton. It's Kate.”

 

“Katie.” Clint remembers the name, and the girl it's attached to, but he isn't sure why she called him. They haven't talked ever since he went straight and she refused to do so, but he'd told her to call if she ever needed help. “What's up?”

 

“I need Hawkeye.”

 

“No way.”

 

“Clint, please-”

 

“I said no. Maybe you haven't been keeping up with things, but I have a life now. A safe apartment, a boyfriend, hell, I even have a dog. What makes you think I'd ditch all that for a job?”

 

“Just hear me out.”

 

“There is literally no reason for me to do that.”

 

“Once this job is over, I can quit.”

 

Unfortunately, that's pretty much the only thing that could get Clint to listen to her. He sighs as he signs in, giving his coworker a vague smile before turning his attention back to the call. “What exactly are you asking?”

 

“Just one night. I'll have everything set up, you just need to come with a bow. Please, Clint. Do this one thing and I won't call you again for anything. And if something happens, I'll take the blame.”

 

“Yeah, right. If something happens, Hawkeye is in a six-by-six cell for the rest of his life. Somehow that isn't appealing to me.”

 

“Then we'll make sure nothing happens. Please, Clint. I have people that can take me in and get me a new life, I just need to do this one job. And I wanna get out.”

 

“Ugh.” Clint rubs the back of his neck. “Maybe. Get me more info and I'll think about it.”

 

“You're the best, Hawkeye.”

 

“Hey, don't let people catch you saying that. Brat.”

 

“Sure, sure.” Kate hangs up and Clint gets on with his day.

 

Even though he's a little distracted thinking about what Kate's asking him for, he could teach archery in his sleep. The day seems a little longer than usual, but it's work he loves doing, so it's not a total hardship. He stays half an hour late so he can do some shooting himself, but that's not unheard of and Bucky just texts him to ask to be told when he'll be heading home. Clint does as requested once he's done, and after closing up the shop and range, he starts heading home. Fortunately he missed all but the tail end of rush hour traffic, so it doesn't take him too long to get back to the apartment.

 

“Hello, wonderful,” Bucky greets him. When Clint came home, he'd been reading on the couch, but he shoves the blanket aside and drops the book on the bedside table. “Doing okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Clint reassures him. “How about you?”

 

“Just another boring day at the office.”

 

Clint snorts under his breath. Yeah, right. Bucky works for security at Stark Industries, one of the biggest and wealthiest companies in the world. Even his boring days can be anything but, considering the types that company owner Tony Stark runs around with. He leans into Bucky's touch a little when the man wraps an arm around his waist and brushes his fingers through his hair, his head tipping to the side a little so Bucky is massaging his scalp.

 

“Need a nap?” Bucky asks. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes they both need to hide in bed for an hour or so when they come home. Bucky was a POW for seven months in Italy on one of his tours with a special ops team, and sometimes he still whimpers in his sleep. Clint had a rough childhood and even rougher time after leaving the circus that he was partially raised in; while he hasn't told Bucky much, anyone who hears his nightmares has a pretty good idea of some of it. They understand each other's need for privacy and downtime, and while Bucky's better at admitting it, he's also better at reading Clint's emotional status.

 

“I'll be good in a minute,” Clint tells him. He nuzzles his boyfriend's chest as Bucky hugs him close, whispering endearments in his ear and letting him take his time to get through things. After a few minutes, Clint pulls away a little and kisses Bucky. “Thanks.”

 

“Any time and every time.” Bucky kisses the top of his head and smiles at him. “I got you a present.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Mmhm. Wanna see now or later?”

 

“What kind of question is that?” Clint protests. He threads his fingers through Bucky's and tugs on his hands. “Tell me where it is.”

 

“Kitchen table.” Bucky laughs as Clint tugs him into the kitchen, eager and curious.

 

“You wrapped it,” Clint says shyly. It's obvious that the job is something Bucky did – the abundance of duct tape and newspaper wrapping see to that.

 

“Had to make it look presentable.”

 

“It's a present, presentable enough.”

 

Bucky laughs. “All right, all right. Open it up.”

 

“Pushy,” Clint grumbles, but since he literally dragged Bucky into the kitchen, he doesn't have much room to talk. He doesn't waste any time in yanking at the newspaper, making occasional complaining noises when the duct tape gets in the way. “No way,” he says in delight a moment later. The box holds several objects. On top are a few packets of his favourite cookies, and a custom ordered mug that's white with purple arrows. Below that is a fluffy purple throw blanket and a hoodie that will be at least two sizes too big. He tugs the hoodie on, grinning at Bucky from under the hood, which is hiding half his face.

 

Snorting, Bucky pokes the hood back with one finger and gives him a quick kiss. “Like it?” Clint nods, blushing a tiny bit. “Oh, there was one more thing.” He points across the table to the counter, and Clint glances over. When he sees the final part of Bucky's gift, his jaw drops in shock. “Ta-da.”

 

“ _Dude_.” Clint's jaw drops and he scampers across the kitchen. “No way.” The coffeepot is brand new and shiny, its black casing reflecting the kitchen lights and the chrome band around the top showing the blond's reflection. “C'mon, Buck, this had to be way too expensive.”

 

Rolling his eyes, Bucky crosses the kitchen and props his hands on the edge of the counter. “Nothing is too expensive for you.” The corner of his mouth quirks up into a smile when Clint pouts at him. “I love you and I like to give you things and please let me be nice.” He gives Clint his best puppy dog eyes and it seems like they work.

 

“Ugh, you charmer.” Clint's smiling back at him, though, which kind of underwrites things. “Fine, you can give me this ridiculously overpriced thing as long as you let me give you the first sip of coffee.”

 

“I think I can live with that.” Bucky sits on the counter as Clint goes about making coffee. He smiles as he watches, because even though the blond complained about taking the gift, he can tell that Clint is already getting attached to it. And it is a really nice coffeepot. When he'd gone into the store, Bucky had more or less searched for the one with the most features and hadn't even bothered with the price tag until he was at the checkout. They had more than enough money, anyway.

 

The new machine works almost twice as fast as their old one, which Bucky had put in the ground floor lobby so anyone who wanted it could take it. Once it's done brewing, Clint pours a cup for each of them, using his new mug and Bucky's old favourite. He pointedly stares at Bucky until the other man takes a sip, then wastes no time in drinking his own. Bucky had also supplemented their normal coffee grounds with a few special mixes, one of which Clint took the liberty of using.

 

“Good?” Bucky asks, smiling fondly at him.

 

“Best,” Clint agrees. When Bucky puts an arm around his shoulders, he shifts his weight to lean against him from shoulders to hips and grins down at his mug. Running into Bucky had been a totally random thing, but it had worked out a lot better than most of the things he'd planned. “What do you want for dinner?”

 

“I dunno. We have some chicken, pasta, and vegetables that could make a nice meal.”

 

“Sounds great. You hungry?”

 

“When am I not?”

 

“Too true.” Clint grins at Bucky's reply. His appetite for food is well known by anyone who's met him, because Bucky's nearly always snacking on something between meals. Even though Clint is amazed by the amount of food he packs in, they survive and have a comfortable budget for extras, so he can't really complain. And it means that he's fed pretty well, too, which is nothing to complain about. “I love you.”

 

“Love you too.” Bucky kisses him, deepening it a little once he hears Clint set his mug down on the counter. They make out for several minutes before Clint pulls back, his lips red and a little swollen.

 

“'M hungry,” Clint shares. Bucky chuckles and gives him a quick kiss before sliding his hands from his hips.

 

“All right, then let's make dinner.”

 

By now they work well together at home. They trade off responsibilities and tasks without needing to talk to each other, but the silence between them isn't strained. While the food is getting ready, they lay on the couch, and Bucky caught Clint up on how things are going with his best friend Steve and Steve's girlfriend Natasha. All four of them know each other pretty well, since Clint doesn't know where his family is and Bucky's family is either out of touch or out of state. Clint's always happy to hear about how they're doing, and Steve is shy but eager to share.

 

Once dinner is over, they clean up and find a random movie to watch on the television. Clint checks his phone a few times but there's nothing from Kate until the movie's almost done with. He scrolls through the info she's sent him, frowning or making some other face a few times. While it's all black and white on paper, he knows that jobs can look very different when you're on the ground and being shot at.

 

“Something wrong?” Bucky asks.

 

“Just work stuff. Someone's sick and boss wants to know if I can cover their shift a couple days this week.”

 

“Tell him yes or no. If he comes to pester you, I won't let him.”

 

“My brave, strong man.” Clint chuckles at the eye roll that Bucky gives.

 

“I wish I was as brave and strong as you are.”

 

Clint laughs at that, elbowing him in the ribs. “Yeah, right. Time for bed, Bucko. Early morning start tomorrow.”

 

“At least the coffee will be ready on time,” Bucky quips. He follows Clint into the bedroom, giving him a goodnight kiss before putting an arm around his waist and dozing off. Even though it can be hard for them to get to sleep some nights, it seems like tonight won't be problematic for either of them. Clint is out just a few minutes after Bucky is.

 

Unfortunately, Bucky nudges Clint awake in the middle of the night. “Hey, sweetheart,” he says apologetically. “Listen, there's a work thing and they're calling everyone in.” Bucky yawns and rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands. “I dunno when I'm gonna be able to come back, but I'll keep you updated.”

 

“What time is it?” Clint mumbles, rolling over a little so he can cling to Bucky.

  
“It's really damn hard to actually leave so I can go do my job when you won't let me leave the bed,” Bucky points out, but he's snuggling down at Clint's side anyway.

 

“Promise you'll be safe,” the blond requests.

 

“You know me, darlin'.”

 

“That's why I'm asking.”

 

Bucky chuckles quietly. “Okay. I promise. Won't let anything happen to me. After all, I gotta come back home to you.”

 

“Mmhm.” Clint holds one of Bucky's hands in both of his, his thumb rubbing over a scar across his knuckle. “Just be safe.”

 

“I promise, baby.” Bucky curls both hands around Clint's and presses a kiss to the back of each hand. “See you later, okay?”

 

“Okay,” Clint replies. He kisses Bucky, taking his time, but finally lets go. “I love you and I'll see you later.”

 

“Love you too.” Bucky gives him one last kiss and pushes the blankets aside. He dresses quickly, and Clint can hear him talking on the phone as he leaves the apartment.

 

With Bucky gone, Clint has trouble falling back asleep. It's four in the morning, which is way too early to be doing anything, even with coffee. So he burrows back under the covers, pulling Bucky's pillow over so he can hug it and breathe in the smell still lingering on the pillowcase. Usually he doesn't miss Bucky too much, but when he has to leave so suddenly and for an unknown length of time, it's hard, regardless of which one of them is going.

 

Kate calls him later that morning, around 9:30. They talk over things regarding the job that Kate asked him to help with. Clint calls in to ask for the morning off for work, and when he gets permission, he sets up plans so he can meet her in a coffee shop. She looks a little different from the last time they saw each other, but he picks her out of the crowd with no problem. It's undeniable that she greets him with a little more enthusiasm than he greets her.

 

“All right, Katie, let's make this short.”

 

“Guess you didn't miss me,” Kate remarks.

 

“No, I didn't. I got out of things for a reason. Well, mostly got out of things. So what's this job about?”

 

“Our mark-”

 

“ _Your_ mark.”

 

“My mark is making it hard for my employer to do their work. They want a message delivered to him and things stopped. If I manage it, they get me out.”

 

“Fine. Who is this mark?”

 

“All I was given was an address and floor number, along with blueprints.”

 

“Wait, wait, wait. You don't know who you're going after?”

 

“I have to do this, Clint. There's some really bad people after me. And this is the only offer I'm gonna get for a new start.”

 

“'Really bad people',” Clint repeats. “Like who?”

 

“Like, I do this job and get a new life or I die. Otherwise I wouldn't be taking it. C'mon, Clint, I know you haven't gotten out of things totally. Please help me.”

 

Clint groans and slumps back in his chair. “God, you get in the worst trouble.”

 

“You know me. Daddy's little girl.”

 

“Ugh, you're the worst.”

 

“Will you help me?”

 

“Sure. But this is it. Whatever you get into in the future, don't call me up.”

 

“I won't.”

 

“Give me what you've got.” Clint looks over the papers with her and helps to plan things out. Their hit is scheduled for that night, which doesn't give him much time to prepare, but it'll be enough. He's had less. And this is for a good cause, not to mention that Kate says her goal isn't to kill anyone.

 

“All right, see you tonight, Clint,” Kate says. “Thank you.”

 

“You're welcome, brat.”

 

They split up, Kate going to wherever and Clint back to work. He finishes the afternoon at work, and since Bucky texted him to say he'd be back late, he doesn't bother going back home. Instead he texts the neighbour to see if she'd feed Lucky, and she agrees, so Clint goes right to the cache where he keeps his stuff. Barely any time is needed for him to get dressed and make sure his gear is straightened out.

 

Kate picks him up at the appointed time, handing over a motorcycle helmet. Clint gets on the bike behind her and holds on as they head toward the destination in her GPS. He notices the lights of Stark Tower far before anything else is visible, but it totally shocks him that Kate tells him that that's their destination.

 

“We can't just attack Stark Tower,” he protests. “You're going after _Tony fucking Stark_ and you think it's going to end well?”

 

“If I die here, at least I don't have to worry about dying later.”

 

Clint really needs to stop getting into trouble. “All right, but you better not shoot anyone, Hawkeye.”

 

“Sure thing, Hawkeye.”

 

****

Bucky had been less than pleased to be called out of bed at four in the morning. And even crankier when the only coffee available was the generic staff room stuff that tasted horrible. Steve and the rest of the security crew looked no more happy than he did.

 

“All right, will the heads of security step forward so I can find out what on earth is going on?” Tony asks. He's dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, both streaked with grease, and his hair is standing on end in about twenty different directions. If Bucky's guess is right, he just got out of the lab and was nearly dragged out by his girlfriend Pepper.

 

Steve and Bucky exchange glances and lean forward across the table. “We don't know much yet,” Steve explains. “But we got a tip off that Hawkeye will be making an attempt on your life sometime in the next twenty-four hours.”

 

“ _Hawkeye?!_ ” Bucky demands. “You're kidding me.” The rest of the staff team is suitably angry and terrified. Most of the stories about Hawkeye are the kind that dissuade people from making a career in security. He – or she – isn't known to be nice, and nobody has ever managed to figure out who they are.

 

“Not kidding,” Steve tells him.

 

“Who's this Hawkeye that everyone is spazzed out over?” Tony queries.

 

“One of the most ruthless contract killers in the field,” Bucky shares. “We don't know much about them, only that they're not known for failing jobs.”

 

“It won't be the first time I'm expected to die,” Tony points out. “We'll lock down the lab with a security team down there, and everything will be fine. Nothing can get past my security systems.”

 

“Unless they can. Your safety is our primary concern,” Steve tells him.

 

“Aw, Rogers, I'm touched.”

 

“So is my bank account if I get fired because you're dead,” Bucky quips. Tony snickers, even though Steve and the others look disapproving.

 

“If we can plan,” Steve says, glaring at Bucky.

 

Bucky raises his eyebrows and gives him an innocent look. “I'm all ears.”

****

 

Clint isn't terribly excited about the job, even less than before. But he had given his word to help Kate, and if this is actually the thing that can get her to a safe life, then he's going to have to take the risk. It's not like anybody is going to get too badly hurt. He had insisted that Kate use tranquilizers instead of sharpened arrows, and she'd agreed.

 

Still, it doesn't make it any easier to see bodies hit the floor as they infiltrate the tower. The security alarms haven't gone off quite yet, because Kate had a badge to get them through most of the inner layers, but eventually someone figures out that something is wrong. When the alarms go off, Clint jumps and Kate swears loudly. It seems as though she was hoping that that wouldn't happen.

 

In time they get through to the marked position of Tony Stark. Kate goes first, bow drawn and ready as she enters the room. She freezes once she gets inside, and so does Clint a moment later. Tony isn't there, as far as Clint can see, but part of his security team is. And that includes Bucky. Clint's arrow dips toward the floor as he stares. He's seen Bucky in his uniform, but never on the alert like he is now.

 

“Lay down your weapons and you will not be harmed,” Bucky says.

 

“Unfortunately I can't do that,” Kate replies. She nocks what Clint recognizes as an explosive arrow and he lunges to stop her. He barely manages to swat at her bow before she looses the projectile, and they hit the floor in a tangle of limbs. Clint gets the end of her bow in his stomach and rolls to the side with a grunt. Before she has the chance to shoot again, a security head is restraining her.

 

“You said the mission was non-lethal,” Clint yells at her. “What do you think you were doing?”

 

“I was filling the mission parameters,” she shouts back.

 

They don't have the chance to say anything else before the security team is herding them out of the room. Once they're all out, someone shuts the door and yells for everyone to clear the area, and they're barely out of the blast range before the explosive arrow goes off. It's a little obvious that the team wasn't expecting explosions. Not much time passes before Kate and Clint are yelling at each other again, because Clint is furious and Kate is pissed.

 

“Both of you, shut up,” Bucky orders. “Sir, put down your weapon.” His gun is aimed at Clint, and it's clear from his expression that he doesn't recognize him.

 

Clint sets his bow down, keeps one hand in the air, and slips his mask off with the other. “Heya, Buck. I'm real sorry.”

 

Steve stares at him. “Is that-?”

 

“Uh-huh,” Clint says. “Barton, at your service.”

 

“I... How...” Bucky is staring at him, stunned and hurt.

 

“'M sorry, babe.” Clint holds his hands out in front of him so somebody can cuff him. Kate is wriggling around and trying to fight people, but Clint goes quietly. Bucky won't look at him, but Clint can't blame him for that. It's definitely a shock.

 

The security team loses no time in separating them to interrogate them. Clint can hear plenty of yelling and cursing from Kate, but he cooperates as much as he can. He was mostly kept in the dark, but he tells them where he kept all the information and gear he had for the mission. Eventually they tell him that they're done asking questions and that he'll be escorted to a holding cell for the foreseeable future.

 

Bucky comes around a few hours later. He doesn't say anything for a long few minutes, standing like he isn't quite sure what to do with himself. And Clint can't really blame him. It isn't every day that you arrest your boyfriend for trying to assassinate your boss, only to find out that said boyfriend claims to think it was a nonlethal mission.

 

“Hi,” Clint says quietly.

 

“What happened? You tried to murder Tony Stark. Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you?”

 

“I didn't know Kate wanted to hurt him. She said she was just delivering a message, a posturing technique for someone whose toes Tony was stepping on. Promised nobody was gonna get killed. We used lightweight tranqs on everyone we shot. I made her agree to that. Nobody's permanently harmed. And I didn't know we were even after Stark until we got here. Thought it was some lightweight mark trying to go past his place. Guess I should have known better, right?”

 

“Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you?”

 

“Jail,” Clint says with a little shrug. “I know it's a lot to ask, but can you take care of Lucky? Or find someone responsible to take him. This isn't my first time getting locked up, but I don't want him falling through the cracks.”

 

“You're worried about your dog when you're facing a life sentence?”

 

“Baby, it ain't the first time. It sucks, not gonna deny that. That doesn't mean I don't want Lucky taken care of.”

 

“I just don't understand how you could do this.”

 

“Kate was a good kid when I knew her. She promised she'd get out after this job. That she had people to help her set up a new life, one that would end up with her in a safe situation. I though I was helping her get to a better place. If I'd known she was going to kill or hurt anyone, I would have stopped her. Promise, Buck. Even though I made the wrong choice, it was with good intentions, and I didn't know what she was up to. Far as I knew it was an in-and-out message delivery.”

 

“I believe you. But it's not up to me. Jarvis?” Bucky asks.

 

“Who's Jarvis?” Clint replies.

 

“Mr. Barton is telling the truth on all accounts, as far as I can tell,” a British voice says. “And his statement aligns perfectly with Ms. Bishop's, and with all intelligence and records.”

 

“Jarvis is an AI, and the best in the world. Tony has him working on sorting things out. If we're lucky, everything will be straightened by morning. And after that, we decide what happens.” Bucky tries to offer him a smile before turning and leaving Clint alone.

 

****

“So, Barnes,” Tony greets him cheerfully. “I am, surprisingly, not murdered. What's the news with your boy?”

 

Steve gives him a look. “How are things, Buck?”

 

Bucky answers Steve more than he does Tony. “Jarvis said Clint's telling the truth. And I believe him. Maybe I'm biased and I've got clouded judgment, but... I just can't see Hawkeye being the man I've known the past year. He argues over Gatorade flavours and lets the dog use him for a pillow and quotes the entire _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy whenever we watch it and screams whenever there's a spider in the bathtub. There's no way he can be a killer like that, even if he did have a rough time.”

 

“If he's clean, then things will work out,” Tony tells him, in a rare show of maturity and compassion. “And I think he is.”

 

“Yeah,” Bucky says, sighing as he rubs a hand across the back of his neck. “I hope so.”

 

“Go home,” Tony orders. “And we'll call you the second we have any new info.”

 

“Maybe I should stay...”

 

“Bucky. I'm your boss. _Go home_. We'll call you.”

 

“Sure.” Bucky gives them a brief, tired smile and leaves. He spends the night curled up on the couch, Lucky sleeping on the floor right next to him. It's a lot quieter and lonelier without Clint there.

****

 

Clint doesn't sleep much that night either. The cell is outfitted with a fairly comfortable bed, and the blankets are warm, but he's on his own and it's been a rough day. He misses his boyfriend and his dog, and the sweatpants and tee he was issued aren't the best fit. It's hard to sleep on his own after sharing a bed with the two of them for so long.

 

He's woken up in the morning by a guard rapping on the bars and serving a breakfast tray. Given that he doesn't know where he's spending the next twenty years, he doesn't have much of an appetite. Once he's picked at the food for fifteen minutes or so, he pushes the tray away and sits on the floor, his arms wrapped around his knees. Even though it's only been one night, he's homesick already, and he hates the thought that he might be accused as guilty.

 

Bucky comes rushing into the cell block mid-morning, pausing only for a hurried two-second-long conversation before practically running to Clint's cell. “Hey,” he says, breathless as he unlocks the cell and opens it. “Tony says you're innocent, that there's enough proof and he has good enough legal people to keep you out of jail. And he's willing to issue a statement saying that you were working undercover for him, and there won't even be any charges pressed if that sells.”

 

“You're serious?” Clint asks, stunned. His expression turns guarded, and he glances down at his knees. “What does this debacle mean for us?”

 

“If you still want a life with me and Lucky, I would be more than happy to take you home. But if you think you need to move on, I'd understand. S'your choice either way. You can do whatever you want.”

 

“So you don't think this would change things irreparably?”

 

“Clint, you were lied to and manipulated. You saved the life of my team when you redirected that arrow. And I was pretty damn lost for you already. If you want to keep me, I would be ecstatic.”

 

“Love to,” Clint confesses. He grins as Bucky comes into the cell and scrambles to his feet, flinging his arms around Bucky's shoulders and wrapping him in a hug. “And I love you. I love you so much.”

 

“An' I love you, Clint.” Bucky holds on tightly, burying his nose in Clint's hair. “I brought you some clothes and coffee. Once you sign the papers about Tony having hired you as an undercover operative, we're free to go. Lucky misses you.”

 

“Damn dog,” Clint says with a huff. He's smiling, though, despite the fact that his nose is pressed into Bucky's shirt. “I miss him too.”

 

“Get changed, huh? Coffee's gonna go cold.”

 

“Better not,” Clint complains, like that would be a personal offense. At his pout, Bucky chuckles and presses a quick kiss to his lips. “C'mon, baby, let me take you home.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos, comments, and constructive criticism appreciated! Want to send a prompt/headcanon or talk? Visit me @ [my tumblr](the-star-spangled-bucky.tumblr.com)!
> 
> Original prompt in full: http://lalalaspacinginpandaland.tumblr.com/post/142697665758/story-idea-that-i-need-writen


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